A couple weeks ago, I was finally able to cross a visit to Medieval Times off my bucket list. I've been trying to get to Medieval Times for years.....I would drop not so subtle hints to my husband.....but it never worked. Luckily, I was able to do a review of the show and I took my family to the Baltimore location for a surprise outing.

When we got there, we saw a huge castle. My kids had no clue what was going on. They just saw a huge castle and were very curious what was going on. Our location is actually attached to an outlet mall, so there are shops all around.....but there's no hiding it when you walk in that Medieval times is the main attraction. The kids immediately started jumping up and down.

We were greeted by a very friendly hostess at the ticket line and saw that there was a well 'guarded' VIP entrance. My visit was comped in exchange for a review, but I was surprised I was offered an upgrade for an additional cost. I declined but learned later the VIP upgrade would have given me a chance to sit closer to the arena floor and get a few additional souvenirs.

Before the show there is time to visit in the The Great Hall. My kids had fun interacting with the actors and spending all our money on souvenirs!

Once the show was ready to start, we were ushered into the stadium to our seats and we were set for the rest of the evening. Let me tell you....this is really a fun time to be had. Here are some of the fun moments I took away from our visit:

1. Dancing Horses

I didn't expect to come away from my visiting loving the Equine Entertainment portion of the show, but it was my favorite part. They showcase many of the talents of these trained beauties and if you're a horse lover....you will appreciate it. The horses, jump, leap, kick and dance around and it's a magnificent display. You can read up more about them here:

2. The Spectacular Jousting and Sword fighting Okay - the action part of this show is SO AWESOME! The jousting is LIVE - it's for real....even though it's clearly well rehearsed and practiced, the weapons and armor are for real. This is the exciting part of the show and most fun. There is a lot of crowd participation in the way of cheering and booing....the Knights actually get off their steeds and come into the crowd and toss roses at the fair maidens. It's pretty wonderful.

3. Good Family Fun This is an overall good family fun outing. It was different for us, the kids loved the spectacle of it all. I'm glad it gave us a chance to go out and do something fun, away from our usual outings. The staff overall were super friendly - especially the actors. The venue was clean, net, organized. The show was absolutely spectacular!

Those were all my positive takeaways from my experience at Medieval Times. I enjoyed myself overall. Since this was a sponsored visit, I was asked to review my experience and share it with my readers. That being said, here are a few things you should know when planning your visit:

- Regular price tickets are $59.95 for adults and $36.95 for children 12 & under: use the special promo code to receive discounted ticket prices and SAVE up to $25 OFF Adults and up to $9 OFF children (12 and under) making the price for Adults just $36.95 and Children $29.95. Use Promo Code MT3629 at http://www.medievaltimes.com/plan-your-trip/special-offers/us-family-guide-blogger-coupon-mt3629.html Offer Expires: 2/28/2017

- You can upgrade your tickets to VIP status.....that will give you access to early entry into the arena, first row seating, souvenirs and a framed group photo

- You are given a paper crown based on the color section you're seated in. This helps identify which knight and region you will cheer on during the battles.

- Medieval Times takes place in Spain.....but everyone speaks with a British accent.....don't let it throw you off....because British accents are still awesome!

- You will stroll around the Great Hall prior to the show for about 30 minutes or so. Be sure to arrive early to partake in this experience. This is where you can purchase souvenirs at the gift shops, get a drink at the different drink stations or bars, and take a photo with some of the characters. Souvenir prices vary. We purchased a crown for my daughter ($21) and a light up sword and lance for my son ($22-25). We didn't intend on paying for souvenirs....especially it being so close to Christmas, but we wanted the kids to have a memento from the show. We didn't realize that during the show, there are people walking around with even more light up swords, roses and pennant flags! If you're suckers like me and my husband, be prepared to spend a little extra on these things.

- There are wine and cocktail stations along with full bars in the court area.

- You can take photos with the Medieval Times characters prior to the show in a special photo area - a fee applies for an official printed photo and no camera phone photos are allowed in this area. However, there are other opportunities to take photos with other characters from the show, while in the great hall.

- Our location had a dungeon which we didn't attempt to go in to because my son was a bit skiddish. Other locations have similar rooms.

- The show starts out with the sound of trumpets in the Great Hall and announcements of when to take your seat. Everything was well organized and not hectic or chaotic, which I appreciated as a mom of two kids who are easily distracted when in crowds.

- You are seated in a section based on your knight's colors. We were in the white and black section and were cheering for that particular knight. We also could cheer for two other knights in our section, the Red Knight and the Yellow Knight. Our server came around to introduce herself and gave us a breakdown of how the night would go along with our menu - which was cleverly printed on napkins.

- Your menu is set (unless you request a vegetarian menu) the meal offered at my location in Baltimore was Tomato Soup, Garlic Toast, Baked Chicken, corn on the cob, and a herbed potato. Dessert is a slice of pound cake. Two rounds of beverages (tea, pepsi, or water) are complimentary, along with Coffee at the end of your meal. Beer, Wine and Cocktails are an additional cost. (I will be honest with you. I wasn't fond of the meal at all...and if I were paying full price or even the discounted price, I would be even more upset. I would say, this would have to be the one area that Medieval Times should step up. You may have different options at your location.

- You eat with your hands. I'm not sure how you feel about that, it didn't bother me, but just know that you do get wet wipes and it's not so bad....but I know for sure a few people planned ahead and brought in their own utensils.

- There are horses. They will do their business. It will smell....be prepared. The 'Squires' are pretty quick with clean up.

- There is also a falcon that soars through the arena. I didn't know this ahead of times and little be known, I'm a bit terrified of birds.....usually en masse......but I don't like when they're a bigger bird, with claws and swoop down. Luckily, we were not in the flight path. But be forewarned, if you're like me.

- During the sword fights and jousting, a screen is lowered for the protection of the guests.

- If you're there for a birthday - you get a shout-out and special cake - which is pretty darn cool!!!